Anniversary
by Chicken Yuki
Summary: One Fall day in ForgetMeNot Valley, Muffy decides to make an early trip to the City to see someone special. The sociable blonde is quite ecsatic to see him, but something about Muffy herself seems off. In her grasp is a boquet of Blue Trick Flowers...
1. Greeting The Morning

One fine Fall morning in Forget-Me-Not-Valley, a certain blonde-haired young lady with emerald eyes in the second floor of the Blue Bar got dressed and ready for the day. After taking some time to greet her own reflection in the mirror, as well as the shining sun with an engaging smile, she grabbed something from the windowsill and headed downstairs.

Right by the stairway, a laid-back middle aged man stood by to greet the young blonde. This character had thick tufts of brown hair that extended outwards; while at the same time was tied at the back with a ponytail, along with a mustache. He wore an unbuttoned white and orange cowboy shirt and silver necklace, along with dark jeans and deep brown cowboy boots.

As soon as the blonde stepped out of her room, the man looked somewhat surprised at what he saw before him.

"Hello, Miss Muffy. You have a special date to attend today in the city? You're wearin' black and white today instead of your fetching red dress, and you're clutching some flowers in your hand. Has the times really changes that much these days? I coulda sworn it was the guy who brings the flowers." He said aloud.

Indeed, the young lady named Muffy looked noticeably different this day than any other. Instead of her usual attire consisting of a light blue jacket and fetching red dress were a white wool jacket and a haughty black dress to match her high heels and bandana. And in her grasp was a bouquet of a dozen Blue Trick flowers.

The cheerful blonde giggled.

"Oh Griffin, you don't have to fret! I'm sure Chivalry's still around nowadays, I think it would nice every once in awhile for the girl to do the gift giving too, don't you think?" She cheered with a wink.

"Hm…. you got me there, Miss Muffy. Good point. But, are you seriously going out right now? The bar doesn't open for a long time from now, and I reckon it's still too early for one." Griffin voiced.

Muffy laughed nervously. "Y-yeah… it is, isn't it? Unfortunately, this is a really important date I have to make, and… I promised… that I'd come… as early as possible today." She answered uneasily.

The older man eyed her with a curious look.

"This boy must be really special if you want to see him so soon…" Griffin said.

Muffy nodded. A sincere smile formed on her face at that moment.

"Yes, he is. He was very kind to me when we first met, so I really look forward to seeing him again." She said in a calmer tone.

Griffin nodded back. "He must be if he got you over Farmer Gavin so easily."

Muffy l reacted with a peculiar look. "…Gavin? Are serious? I mean, sure he was handsome and even clearly single at one point, but… I wasn't really all that interested in him in the beginning! He looked like he needed so company, so I was just happy to oblige. That's it." She insisted with a perfectly straight face.

"Alright… if that's what you have to say on the matter, than I'm sorry." Griffin replied.

Muffy let out a sigh of relief before proceeding to sway him.

"So, may I go out to the city early today? Pleaaaaase?" she begged with puppy-dog emerald eyes.

Griffin gave her one long, hard look. Seeing those wide emerald eyes made him twitch ever so slightly.

"Alright, you can go. Not like it's going to hurt the business if you leave off work hours, anyway." He agreed.

Muffy let out a joyous cheer, then leapt into Griffin's arms with a big hug while keeping a firm grasp on her bouquet.

"Oh, thank you Griffin! You're the best!" she cheered.

Griffin nodded once more while patting her on the back.

"No need to lay it on thick, Miss Muffy, but I appreciate the sentiment." He grinned while still feeling the full force of the embrace.

Quickly enough, the ecstatic blond released her hold and started approaching the way out.

"I promise I'll be back in time for work." Muffy added.

Griffin shrugged, and then shook his head. "Eh, go ahead and take your time if you want to. Something tells me this is a really special meeting for you, so I'd rather not screw it up if I can help it."

Muffy paused, and then shook her head back.

"No, I'll be back. He told me… that he'd rather not cost me any responsibility if he could help it." She insisted.

Griffin shrugged again. "Alright, if that's what you want. All I'm asking right now is that you take care of yourself. So don't get hurt, okay?"

Muffy nodded. "I will."

"Good. Now get out of here. You don't wanna keep him waiting any longer, do you?" her guardian ordered sternly.

Muffy nodded back again.

"Thanks again Griffin." She said as she flashed another bright smile. "Bye!"

Griffin waved the young blonde farewell before she took off.

After making a good distance from the Blue Bar, Muffy halted briefly to look at her newfound home.

"… I'm sorry…" she uttered in soft remorse.

She then continued her trek to the city at a leisurely pace, with the bouquet Blue Trick flowers clutched closely to her chest.


	2. Reunion With the Past

**Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life**

**Anniversary**

Noon arrived. The sun still shone brightly over outstretched green grass that appeared relatively untouched by the typical urban environment of the rest of the city. Right at the entryway was an stony archway words, "Chrono Memorial Park" Engraved at the top.

Deeper into the park was an eerily shady field isolated from a more vibrant land. Rows of grey stones were aligned and spaced out in an orderly fashion.

Among the stones, a certain blonde lady wandered around with an anxious expression. Eventually, she came across a particular stone that caught her attention. Her worrisome look quickly turned to that of nostalgia as she hurried towards her destination.

After finally reaching the stone in question, she merely stood and gazed upon it as if to admire its mere presence.

"Well… it's been a year since last time, but I'm glad to finally be back. Did you miss me?" she asked in a fairly loose tone.

Her question was met with a brief moment of silence.

Muffy eventually broke the silence with a nervous laugh.

"Say, do you think I'm being disrespectful like this? I got myself dressed up for a hot date to meet up with you, but most folks tell me I should dress way more formal for the occasion. Honestly, wouldn't it be better to see you looking my best instead of looking like some fancy Goth-Lolita floozy like the last time? Sure, the dress is still a little on the sexy side, but it's black, so it should still count… right?" she huffed.

The casual-minded girl released a long, deep sigh before she went on.

"A-anyway, I wanted to stop by and give you an update on what happened to me over the year. As it turns out, I'm still working at that same old bar in the Valley with the barmaid job I accepted last Spring. I would've thought by now that I'd finally receive my big break in show business and get myself out of this miserable county, but I guess so many things have been holding me back. It had to be the people, of all things…"

Muffy laughed nervously as she admitted her last statement.

"Especially Griffin. I mean, at first I thought would just keep me around as his little bar slut until he's done with me for the day, but then he decided to offer me a room along with momentary guardianship and everything. So, yeah… he's been great to me all this time, actually. He's a wonderful boss to me; heck, he's been like a lovable Dad to me! Much better than my real one, at least…"

The young blonde sulked for a moment, but then shook her head vigorously.

"But there were plenty of people I kept company at that little shack of a bar, and I was amazed how many stories they all had to tell! The local archeologist, Carter, would always come over and share a few of his experiences at the dig site with his partner Flora, and I have just teensiest feeling the two are on the verge of coupledom. Then there are the elderly twins, Kassey and Patrick. Those two are a little too lecherous for my taste, but I find their constant cheer a welcome break from a boring day, and they always tip me extra for being such a "fine hostess" to them. This tall guy from the vegetable farm named Marlin shows up from time to time as well. He was never one to talk with his eyes glaring daggers in all directions, and that always bothered me, but then I here him grumble occasionally about his "overbearing sister" and a "naïve girl tenant" that lives with him. I think he's really worried about them at heart…"

Muffy then made a funny expression as she thought about her other regular customers.

"Although there are these times where we get a few weirdoes coming along, like Gustafa, this goggle-wearing hippie with a guitar. He can say a lot of strange things at time, but I'm glad that he's also a very peaceful kind of guy and can even play guitar music that can give a master like Griffin a run for his money. There's also this creepy scientist named Daryl… ugh… he always comes in and mutters on and on about his research and stuff like a crazy a man. And whenever he looks at me, he focuses his eyes at my hair for a moment and makes the most disturbing face I've ever seen. I have a bad feeling his mind is way beyond freaky or something! But the strangest one would have to be Rock. He's actually quite handsome too, and even lively like you were, but he was always very off to me... very full of himself and always throwing out questionable ideas. He really outdoes me in what it means to be a "Blonde" these days. I also see this old furry guy come in, too. He always smells, and these flies constantly buzz around him, but I always found him endearing in some way. He once told me he misses his family back home in a faraway city, and I'm surprised to hear actually has one! Boy, I'm really jealous…by the way he sounds, he must love his family so much to be distraught over them like that…"

A somber, reflective look came across Muffy's face, but then a gentle smile formed from her mouth.

"You know what else? A new young man came to take Farmer Leonard's place early this spring. His name is Gavin, and he happened to be the old man's son. I was amazed when I finally laid eyes on him, he was really quite handsome… his chocolate brown hair and matching puppy dog eye combo with a face that reminded me of you, but the poor man was even more of a clam than I was from way back when! I figured I could help put him at ease and loosen him up a bit, but I had a feeling my "advances" only made him more nervous. So I decided to lay off for a bit to see if someone else could get the job done. Luckily me, he really took a liking to Griffin's guitar, and was able to talk to me about his old life as an artist in a city further way from here. And I have a feeling good old Gavin found a little luck of his own as well. The word around the Valley is that he's been hitting it off really well with local farm girl Celia, the "girl tenant" living in the vegetable farm. I've seen them together looking really keen with each other on many occasions, too!"

She then bowed her head slightly.

"I admit, I feel a little jealous seeing them so perfectly happy together… like the two of us once were… but the both of them were both so good and kind to me, so I finally decided that they really deserve each other. Besides, no one should be deprived of that kind of happiness, right? And you showed me that…"

Muffy immediacy wiped a stray tear that escaped her watery eyes.

"It's already been two years since that tragedy… I still can't believe it… that time is still moving forward so carelessly fast… without you around. I used to be so impatient, too… wondering each and every day when we'd get see each other… when you'd finally propose to me… and the wedding… and when we could have children of our own, but I was thinking too far ahead, wasn't I? I couldn't it help it... you always made me feel so happy together, so I always believed we'd make a great family together. Being a mother sounded like a fun experience worth the hustle, somehow. But… but then I remember how often my Parents used to tell me how much of a failure I was… that I was too stupid, too clumsy, too incapable of anything worthwhile… I hated it, yet I actually believed them… and the idea of starting my own family would scare me half the time. What if I ruin our family because of my mistakes? What if I fail take care of the children? What if I reduce their happiness into a misery worse then mine?"

Muffy's body began to tremble as she slowly approached the stone before her. She could no longer contain her tears as they suddenly came forth like rivers.

"But… I'm glad you were there to tell me otherwise. You always had confidence in me when nobody else my life would… you were always there to cheer me up when I was sad or upset… you always held me close and assured me everything would be alright when I felt like the world would end… so, I still thank you… for everything. I don't know at this rate if I'll ever have that chance to have a family of my own in the future. I even find myself looking out at the sea at night recently, thinking back to our first Summer Romance where I felt for sure my life would start to come together, but I'm glad to have had that hope because of you."

The teary-eyed blonde's trembling halted. She felt comforting warmth overcome her as she allowed fond memories to sink in.

"Somewhere down the line, I realized and cherished how important this feeling of kindness is to me so much that I thought about sharing with others this past year and a half. I'm surprised how much happiness a simple barmaid could bring in a place as isolated as Forget-Me-Not Valley, but I can see relieved expressions on the customers' faces when I come to greet them… and it just makes me feel good and refreshed that I can offer that kind of gift. So, is that how you always felt… when you would cheer me up? No… it had to have been a hundred times more, because you loved me so much…"

Suddenly, her tears came out in even greater force, yet her smile grew brighter than ever.

"Funny… I'm thinking about all of these memories, and now I can't even tell if I'm crying because I'm sad, or because I'm happy. And I've already been through all the sorrow last year… I wish this made more sense to me."

In her state of confusion, Muffy went into an inexplicable laughing fit.

"No matter how hard I try to get over this, I'm still going to miss you, aren't I? But at the same time, I think I may be afraid of moving forward when I've been doing such a good job of that so suddenly. I don't want to let go of the memories we had, but I'm already making new ones with my new family in Forget-Me-Not Valley. And, while I may not be the one at Gavin's side, I still look forward to his future with Celia… and maybe even help look over the child they'll have if the relationship goes that far. Yeah, I actually have that family now, but it's without you here. It's so painfully bittersweet…"

Again, Muffy took a moment to wipe her running tears.

"… I know you want me to be completely happy… I know you'd rather see me not suffer… but I just can't help it. So, I don't know if you can do me this one favor, but could you somehow grant me strength of will to deal with this so I can keep on going without as much suffering? I want to keep doing for others what you did for me and keep them in good spirits. I want them to be able to greet the morning with high spirits even when I can't. I want to live on for that purpose… for you, and everyone…"

She then went down to her knees and brought her hands together for a moment of silence. After a few long minutes, she got back up and took a few steps closer to the stone with a giggle.

"To be honest, I feel really silly spilling my guts to a rock twice in a lifetime. But at least I'm letting it out in some way. I guess you still have a way to support me, afterall…" she grinned with great relief.

Afterwards, she got within reach of the stone and laid the flowers at its feet, right beside a picture of a lively young man with navy blue hair and chocolate brown eyes alongside a surprisingly meek Muffy. She then gave a nod.

"I hope you love the gift this year. They happen to be in season in the Valley." She said proudly.

Eventually, when the sun started to set, Muffy finally departed the graveyard for the trip back home while leaving behind a fond past once more to move on to a hopeful future…


End file.
